Thomas
by shan14
Summary: His light blue Thomas the Tank Engine t-shirt was smeared with dark mud from a trip in a puddle and the scuff’s of his pants where almost thread bare. In short he looked like he’d just trekked through the jungle.
1. Thomas

**Ahh, my Thomas! this is my favourite story so far :D**

**Disclaimer: don't own anything cept Thomas. nobody's allowed to steal Thomas...**

* * *

Jennifer Jones stood placidly among the small crowd of people awaiting the return of their loved ones. It was a bright December morning and sun was beating down hard, bringing with it a parade of sun screened, swim suit clad children ready for a day at the beach. Their squeals of laughter floated through the busy Mariner next door as frazzled parents tried to fit in their last minute Christmas shopping and business men and woman shared a café lunch to celebrate another year's end. Jen had been chatting with Amelia Blake by the busy playground earlier, almost shouting over the call's of children enjoying the last few day's before Christmas, until her young daughter Holly had fallen from the monkey bar's, the four year old scratching both knee's and her elbow and causing an eruption of tears down the girls pink cheeks. After Amelia had retreated home in search of Holly's Barbie doll band aids, Jen had been retreated to an empty park bench, quite happy to watch the slow waves lap up against the sandy beach while her charge for the day, Thomas, played happily in the dirt nearby. She glanced down at the little blonde haired boy bent over at right angles to stare down the ducks waddling near him. His dark brown eyes were pierced in concentration towards the feathery quackers who didn't seem to notice they were being followed by one very curious two year old. Jen watched in amusement as Thomas turned his small head to look at her quickly, his attention wavering slightly from the duck's as a ship's horn sounded loudly in the distance. He turned his head further, twisting his small body around to search the water for the source of the mysterious noise that had disturbed him as Jen watched the little boy happily. His eyes widened quickly as his gaze fell on the ship on the horizon. He pointed one small, chubby finger at it excitedly, bouncing up on his heels to get a better look at the ship he'd trained himself to recognize.

"Daddy" he squealed happily, looking at Jen quickly for confirmation before turning back to watch the sparkling water, his grin causing dimples on his podgy, mud stained cheeks. Jen scooped the squirming toddler up into her arms so he could see the boat more easily while quickly wiping at the dirt on his face to clean him a bit.

"Your daddy's not going to recognise you" she teased affectionately, wondering when Thomas had found the time to get so grimy with dirt if she had been with him all day. She softly dropped him back onto the grass as being still became too much for the toddler and he started whining and struggling in her grasp.

"Stay close Action Man" she called as he darted off, the occasional trip slowing him as he headed towards where his duck's had migrated to; a safe spot by the pond where they hadn't counted on a two year old tornado finding them.

"Excuse me" came a voice from behind Jen, surprising her momentarily as she turned away from Thomas towards the source of the inquiry. Before her stood a tall, blonde haired lady, dressed in white three quarter pants and a loose, flowery shirt with a hand bag thrown over one shoulder. Her straight hair was held back by the sunglasses resting a top her head and a bright smile was plastered across her face, white teeth shining behind deep red lips. It took Jen a few seconds to realise she was starring oddly at the woman, a second excuse me bringing her from her thoughts and back to reality.

"Sorry" she laughed flippantly, hoping she hadn't seemed offensive. She vaguely remembered seeing this woman somewhere, though the memory was distorted. Maybe in a photograph she mused while keeping a trained eye on the adventuresome two year old chasing ducks beside her.

"Jennifer Jones" she introduced conversationally, raising her hand in greeting towards the woman. Her gesture was returned kindly and as the pair shook hands the woman introduced herself accordingly.

"Ursula Morrell" she smiled warmly and Jen suddenly remembered where she had seen her before. An old photograph of Toby's from The Hammersley's day's which he kept framed in the hallway.

"I was wondering if The Hammersley was here?" Ursula asked, looking around the Mariner as if to prove her intentions. Jen's eyes widened momentarily, wondering how long ago this woman had been in Darwin.

"The Hammersley was decommissioned years ago" she explained matter of factly, proud to be the one explaining something about her husband's job, not the other way round as it usually was.

"The new Patrol Boat's just coming in though if it was someone on board you were looking for" she added, noting the fallen look Ursula had adopted moments earlier.

"Yes, actually" she explained, visibly brightening while another smile revealed white teeth shining "Mike Flynn wouldn't happen to still be the captain, would he?" she asked hopefully, shifting her hand bag onto the other shoulder. Jen watched her movements with amusement, wondering if she knew the truth about Mike and his current situation. She'd heard enough story's about this woman from the men and Kate, though some of Kate's recounts sounded mildly over exaggerated.

"They couldn't tear him away" Jen laughed shortly, a fake smile spreading across her face. Something about this woman was rubbing her the wrong way and she intended on trusting her instincts.

'Still' she reasoned, 'there was no need to be hostile', so with an embellished smile she pointed towards the Naval base, explaining that her and Thomas would be heading over their shortly and would she like to join them. Ursula, matching smile gracing her lips, agreed readily and started walking with Jen to where Thomas was terrorising the local ducks.

His light blue Thomas the Tank Engine t-shirt was smeared with dark mud from a trip in a puddle and the scuff's of his pants where almost thread bare. In short he looked like he'd just trekked through the jungle, which in terms of two year olds adventures he almost had. After his beloved ducky's had noticed the prowling blonde hair of their enemy they'd set of quacking in alarm, waddling at high speed away from him and in the process starting an adventuresome game of cat and mouse that had amused Thomas for the better part of the last ten minutes. Now, after realising his feathered friends weren't going to play with him he'd settled himself in the grass and was happily searching for ant's and bug's, a game often played with Daddy much to Mummy's horror. When he saw Jen approaching he picked himself up, almost toppling head over heels in the process, before reclaiming balance and pointing towards the ducks.

"All gone" he chorused sadly, big brown eyes meeting Jen's with as much sadness as a two year old could muster. After a few moments of looking longingly towards the duck's he heard the horn of the ship once more and all thoughts of feathers and chasing's cleared from his mind. He bounded towards Jen excitedly, tripping on his unlaced jogger's in the process, before picking himself up and continuing on. As he came near Jen reached her arms out towards him and scooped him up, smothering his face in kisses before settling him on her hip.

"You ready to see Daddy Thomas?" she asked playfully, looking straight at the toddler to catch the jumble of excited babble that followed. She laughed a long with his unintelligible speech with ease all the while conscious of Ursula's gaze on the pair. After Thomas settled himself down Jen turned towards the woman beside her, bouncing Thomas to catch his wavering attention.

"Say hello to Ursula" she introduced slowly once she was sure his gaze was settled on the tall lady. Suddenly becoming the shy little boy all children of his age adopted when new people were around he buried his head in between Jen's neck and shoulder, his little blonde head only just peaking out. Jen looked apologetically towards Ursula, hoping the woman wouldn't feel offended by the sudden wave of shyness that had engulfed Thomas. Usually he was a regular bundle of energy, obsessed with nature and appropriately nicknamed Action Man by the crew because he was always on the move. Being one of two children of the Patrol Boat's crew and the youngest and only boy he was spoiled rotten by everyone, and held in the highest regard by his godmother Nikki who had threatened to gobble him up on more than one occasion if he didn't stop becoming cuter each time she saw him.

Once the trio had rounded the corner to the Navy base Thomas picked his little head up, cautioning a quick glance at Ursula before scanning the horizon for Daddy's ship. Everyone had been very amused when he had pronounced it Daddy's ship at the last barbeque they had held, and so the crew had proceeded to tease Thomas's poor Daddy about that fact from then on. To settle the poor child who didn't know why everyone was laughing at him Nikki and Jen had decided to play along, and had since then found it common practice to refer to the Patrol Boat with Thomas's name for it.

"Can you see Daddy's ship?" she asked Thomas moments later, hoping to distract him so she could learn a bit more about the woman walking with her. As the toddler pierced his eyes in concentration Jen turned towards Ursula, eyeing her up and down while she gazed out at the water lapping against the wall.

"Have you spoken to Mike recently?" asked Jen, surprising Ursula. She turned quickly towards the smiling woman beside her, the blonde haired child still nestled in her arms.

"No" she responded shortly, not quite sure where Jen's inquiry lay. "We lost touch a few years ago" she explained further, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear distractedly. She was feeling quite uncomfortable, talking about her ex-almost boyfriend with a woman she'd only just met.

"You're married to Chefo?" she asked after an awkward moment, effectively turning the conversation away from herself and onto a topic she could handle. Jen's face lit up at the thought of her husband and nodded happily in reply.

"Five year's in January" she added in wistfully, unconsciously turning the ring secured safely around her finger. Ursula noticed the small movement of love and a sharp pain pocked at her chest, reminding herself of the failed relationships she had faced in the past. She lowered her head, effectively stopping the conversation and dipping the trio into an awkward silence.

As they came to a halt by the pier Thomas's face spilt into an excited grin as he pointed at the Patrol boat docked in front of them. He tried jumping out of Jen's arms again, but she held on strongly, fully aware of the implications of letting the toddler go on such a crowded pier. He squirmed unsuccessfully in her arms, whining in annoyance at not being let go before his eyes narrowed in on a certain light haired man stepping of the boat. His eyes brightened in excitement once more as the man noticed the trio standing at the end of the pier and grinned happily. Jen relinquished her hold on the toddler who shot out her arms at lightening speed, straight into the arms of one very happy Toby Jones.

"Action man" he grinned, spinning the giggling boy above his head before smothering his face with noisy kisses and raspberries. Thomas, quite content to be in the arms of his favourite adult, attempted his own sloppy kisses in return before settling down to be carried. His happiness how ever was short lived as Chefo placed the two year old down on the ground, opting instead to wrap his arms around his beautiful wife to give her a passionate kiss.

"Miss me" he quipped breathlessly as the two pulled away for air. Jen grinned at him happily, managing an enthusiastic nod before leaning in for another kiss.

"I missed you two" replied Chefo cheerfully "Both of you" he added, leaning down to place his hand proudly over her protruding stomach.

"Five more month's" she managed to whisper in excitement, sharing a joyous smile with her husband.

Ursula watched the exchange in front of her with mixed feelings. She felt honoured to watch such a strong sense of love between the pair who were obviously still besotted with each other, despite the five year mark. Then there was a sense of loss, loss of something she'd never really gotten a grasp on and was beginning to think never would. Finally she felt confused. For a couple so in love they were ignoring their first born like he did not exist and their excitement over their unborn child was like most new parents displayed. She felt oddly uneased by the whole situation, like she'd missed a piece of the puzzle that just so happened to be the most vital part. She scanned the busy crowd for the blonde haired toddler. 'Tony, Toby' she mused, desperately trying to remembered the young boy's name.

"Thomas" she exclaimed triumphantly just as her eyes settled on the boy. To her horror he was bent over on the side of the pier, completely absorbed by something bobbing in the water in front of him. People were rushing past him, oblivious to the dangerous situation that could happen if one brushed against the two year old accidentally. One knock was all it would take to send him tumbling into the depth's she thought with horror, trying to push trough the people towards him.

Meanwhile Mike Flynn stepped from his Patrol Boat feeling quite content. He cast his mind back to a time when he had dreaded Christmas. A time when he had had no one to share it with save the few other officers and sailors spending it alone.

'How time's had changed' he smiled.

Now he had a reason to feel such joy at stepping onto the pier; a reason to be excited about the coming Christmas. A reason to put up a tree, and hang up light's and wake up at some ungodly hour on Christmas morning to unwrap presents of which half would hardly be used ever again.

And that reason was currently hovering over the edge of the pier, one nudge away from being lost in the sparkling blue abyss of water that Mike called home for at least half the year.

"Thomas" he called in terror, pushing through the crowded pier quickly and with force towards his little blonde haired boy.

"Thomas!" he tried again, this time louder, hoping to reach the ears of the toddler before the unimaginable happened. His mind was racing, plagued by thoughts of what would happen.

'No!' he told himself firmly, 'you're not going there'

He'd never felt so relieved in his life as when Thomas raised his small head towards the voice he had been waiting for all morning. His chubby cheeks broke into dimples as a wide grin spread across his face; his eyes, mirror's of his father's, brightening up like lights.

"Daddy" he squealed happily, speeding towards his father as fast as he could before being swept up in a bear hug so tight he had to squirm around to get comfortable. Mike held the tiny boy tightly against his chest, relishing the warm, sticky breath he could feel against his cheek and the hard kick to his chest as Thomas tried to break free once more.

"Don't you dare do that to me again" breathed out Mike, his heart slowing to a respectable beat as he loosened his grip on Thomas slightly.

Thomas, oblivious to the terror he had just caused his father, grinned in excitement, before preceding to plonk Mike on the nose happily, a game that he had started at a young age and that had survived between the two each time Mike returned home. Unable to contain his happiness any longer, the captain broke out in laughter, smothering his son with kisses and raspberries before tickling him affectionately. Through Thomas's squeals of laughter he didn't even notice the woman not two metre's away, staring at the pair as realisation dawned on her finally. She stepped back behind a slumping tree into the shadows, unable to bring herself to interrupt such a moment between father and son before turning swiftly on her heels and walking away from them, never once looking back.

Just as she was stepping of the pier onto the hot concrete she noticed the smiling form of Mike's XO walking towards her. She was in civilian clothing, like the rest of the crew, but oddly she was walking from what appeared to be NavCom, not the Patrol Boat.

Once again Ursula confined herself to the shadows of some very accommodating over growth, praying she wouldn't have to encounter Kate once more. It may have been five years but memories of their first and final meetings were never happy affairs, and in the fragile state she was in the last thing Ursula felt like was another conversation between the two. She continued to watch as Kate happily bounced down the pier, sharing smiles and hellos with a few of the crew before stopping short in front of Mike and Thomas. From her vantage point Ursula couldn't hear much over the din the rest of the crowd where creating, made worse by the crash of the waves and the squawking sea gulls above. She was, however, able to recognise a family when she saw one. Like Chefo, Jen and their excitement over their unborn child, like Swain and Amelia and Holly, proudly showing of her battle scars. Like Spider and his parents who had flown up to see him over the Christmas break and where happily exchanging hugs and kisses, Mike, Kate and Thomas had something; a connection. They were a family, and a very happy one. Ursula watched on as Mike grinned at his wife, wrapping his arms around her while keeping a firm grasp on their blonde run away whirl wind. He leant in to kiss her warmly, a quick kiss so as not to bring attention to them, but one filled with all the passion and emotion of two lovers returning to each other after a long parting. She could see Thomas waving his arms around and imagined the fuss he was making as his parents shared a moment, their attention drawn away from him momentarily.

And she couldn't help the smile spreading across her face as the pair turned towards their bright eyed son, tickling him mercilessly as friends departed around them, sending their Christmas wishes to the family along the way.

As she stepped out of the shadows and turned towards the sun she was surprised that she didn't feel jealous, anger, hatred. She'd set out with a mission to fill in the missing gap in her life and before she had arrived today she'd thought the missing piece had been Mike.

No, she realised, the missing piece hadn't been getting him but had been getting over him, something she'd had to experience by watching him herself. It felt odd, she supposed, suddenly realising that a part of your life was over, yet even more surprising was the feeling of a new beginning. But, it was Christmas and what better time to start over again was the beginning of a New Year.


	2. Thomas' Christmas

_It was the morning of Christmas and all through the house, _

_Not__ a creature was waking not even mouse_

_Mummy and Daddy lay curled up in bed_

_With the sheets pulled up close, right over their head_

_While their young blonde haired angel, opening a small eye to peer _

_Awoke with a start, for Christmas was here_

Streams of sunlight dappled the newly polished floors of the Flynn residence while a soft morning breeze blew gently against the windows, tapping the branches of outside trees against them rhythmically. Christmas lights, faded from the soft sun penetrating the front room flashed lazily through the thick tree branches and delicately painted ornaments while streams of red, gold and silver tinsel and beads (results of Thomas' experiments with decorations) lay scattered in bunches across the room. At the centre of the tree lay a large, paddle pop stick, finger painted photo frame with a picture of a smiling Mike, Kate and Thomas adorned in Santa Hats and taken last Christmas, and at the top of the tree, catching the early morning light and reflecting ever changing patterns against the wall was the glittering, five pointed Christmas star, placed ceremoniously their by Thomas himself. Below the tree a selection of carefully wrapped, bright Christmas presents lay scattered, ready to be ripped apart by the blonde haired toddler who'd had his eyes on them for weeks.

Out of the shadows behind the lounge, Jinx the family cat, stepped elegantly into the front room. She arched her back slowly, surveying the brightly coloured interior with some suspicion before stalking towards the giant tree in front of her. She rubbed her back against one of the branches, jumping back in surprise at the prickly textures of the fake tree before resuming her slow pace towards the staircase and her master's bedroom. As she ascended the stairs for a morning snooze the steady beat of the clock a top the mantle piece remained the only noise and she yawned in pleasure at being the only waking animal in the house.

"Mummy, Daddy" squealed an excited, blonde haired two year old. Thomas Christopher Flynn had peeked open one small eye and remembered what special day it was before bouncing up into a sitting position. He hoisted himself up so he was standing steadily against the bars of his wooden cot, blue Thomas the Tank Engine covers and sheets lay scattered at his feet as he called out once more towards his snoozing parents. He clapped his hands eagerly against the sides of his cot; growing more impatient by the second as it became evident his parents weren't coming. He bounced his little feet on the mattress before remembering what daddy had taught him earlier and grinning at his own genius. As he bounced to the other side of his cot and the table next to it he yelled out once more to his parents before swinging one tiny arm up over the wooden railing and proceeding to climb onto the table next to him.

"Mummy, Daddy" heard Mike Flynn, wondering briefly why there was a little voice inside his dreams. He cracked one tired eye open, realising the cries were in fact not a figment of his imagination and in reality his hyper active toddler who had escaped from the prison of his bedroom to come terrorise his parents. He swung one lazy arm over his body as he rolled towards his sleeping wife, letting the arm find its way to her side automatically and snuggling down next to her.

"Why is he up?" he murmured into her back as the pitter patter of little footsteps was heard through the silent house hold.

"Better yet, how does he even know what today is?" mumbled Kate from her position facing away from him. Her voice was thick with sleep and Mike could hear the annoyance in her voice at being disturbed from her dreams. "He's too young to remember last Christmas and I've never taught him to wake this early" she continued as her husband smiled in amusement against her back.

"Chefo" the pair sighed in unison, rolling to face each other before sharing a smile.

"Merry Christmas" murmured Mike, brushing a run away lock of blonde hair from Kate's forehead before leaning in to kiss her softly. His free arm coiled its way around her waist, firmly pulling her towards him so they were pressed together in an embrace. Kate smiled happily back at him, relishing her last moments of peace before Thomas crashed the party.

"Mummy" came a squeak of a voice from the doorway, the blonde hair of the young child the only thing visible to his sleepy parents.

"Yes Thomas" replied Kate, putting her best mummy voice on to hide how tired she felt.

"N' I come in?" asked the little boy, tripping over his words as he giggled in excitement. He hopped from one foot to the other, dragging his worn teddy bear along the ground behind him before clambering towards his parent's bed as Kate nodded a yes.

With some help from his daddy he finally pulled himself up to a sitting position on his parent's bed before clambering over to his father's side.

"Daddy" he called, little hands shaking Mike's side in the hopes of a response "Daddy it cwismas" he tried again. He beat his hands down hard on Mike's side before the man rolled over quickly and grabbed the impatient toddler who squealed in surprise. Kate smiled happily as she watched her husband and son wrestle playfully next to her, Mike being the obvious winner as Thomas collapsed in a mountain of giggles in the crease between his parents. The three lay quietly in the bed, Thomas' heavy breathing and occasional hiccup being the only noise besides the tinkle of Jinx' bell outside the door and the wind chimes blowing in the sea breeze. Mike and Kate shared a relaxed smile over Thomas' head as the young boys bounced up quickly to investigate the noise beside him. Clambering over his parents body's hazardously he peered over the side of the bed before jumping back in surprise and looking at his parents with a grin. The bells had reminded him of Daddy's story last night and suddenly images of Christmas, Santa and brightly wrapped presents filled his imaginative mind. He spun back to his parents with a cheeky grin before crawling over to sit in between the two adults, both of whom where by now sitting up in bed.

"Yes Thomas?" asked Kate expectantly, knowing her son was bursting at the seams to talk. He was practically bouncing with the excitement of everything and he hadn't even had the chance to stock up on sugar yet.

"Presents pease" he exclaimed loudly, throwing one arm in the air which narrowly missed hitting his fast reacting father in the nose.

"What presents?" teased Mike affectionately; eyes' dancing with laughter though his face was set as serious as could be mustered. Thomas brown eyes turned quickly towards him in horror, widening at the terrible thought that there was no presents for him downstairs and that Santa had skipped his house. "Santa didn't get any presents for you buddy" Mike continued, ruffling his son's head affectionately before slipping a sly grin to his wife. Kate rolled her eyes, her smile betraying the anger she was trying desperately to convey to her husband. Meanwhile Thomas was sitting quietly between his parents, barely moving or talking which was a surprise in its self.

"Daddy" he managed to whisper in alarm, his little voice breaking Mike's heart momentarily as the tears welled up in his eyes and Mike realised just how much Thomas believed his every word.

"Cwismas" cried the young child softly before burying his head against Mike's stomach and bursting into a loud shudder of tears.

Mike, feeling mildly guilty at making his child cry on Christmas morning, picked the small child up so that he was curled against his chest before stroking his unruly hair down. He pulled Thomas in for a warm bear hug, rubbing the toddler's back in apology before sending a quick look towards his fuming wife. Much to his great surprise and relief Kate was looking mildly calm though this in itself proved to be fatal as she whacked him hard on the back of the head.

"How could you do that" she scolded angrily, though like before she couldn't help the annoying smile creeping up onto her face. It seemed it would be impossible to remain angry at her husband on Christmas morning, especially with him looking so damn cute as he guilty apologised to their son.

"Tommy knows I was only joking, don't you mate?" he asked, pulling the sniffling toddler back to smile at him encouragingly.

"I didn't mean it action man" he explained, ruffling the boy's hair once more in the hopes of a smile. Thomas, who had an even harder time staying angry at his father than his mother did, wrapped his small arms around his daddy for another hug before asking quietly if he was getting presents. Allowing himself to finally laugh, Mike bounced Thomas up so he was holding the boy in a standing position in front of him.

"Of course we have presents buddy, it's Christmas!" he exclaimed happily, feeling an invisible weight evaporate as Thomas grinned excitedly, eyes burning brightly at the thought of it all.

"Of you go downstairs" instructed Mike, plopping Thomas on the floor beside him so the toddler could scurry down the stairs breathlessly.

"Don't open anything without us" called Kate moments later, watching the quick flurry of blonde speed out of the room and down the stairs.

"Yeah right" murmured Mike with a laugh, leaning back down against his pillow while resting his arms behind his head. Kate shuffled closer to him, curling herself around his chest before settling down with her arms wrapped around him.

"Your mean" she murmured moments later, her voice slightly muffled by the light navy blue shirt he was wearing. She felt his chest rumble happily with laughter beneath her and she smiled contently; listening to the steady breathing of herself and her husband followed by the distant shuffle of feet as Thomas eagerly inspected the presents below.

"I'm not that mean" laughed Mike, rolling his eyes and settling one arm around his wife.

"Its 7 o'clock on the first Christmas morning he can remember and you've already made him cry" exclaimed Kate, shuffling herself to share a look with him. She hoped her face held some type of disapproving authority but Mike's smile seemed to widen at the sight of her and she was afraid she'd failed miserably.

The pair lay a moment longer in each others arms, breathing in the sharp smells of summer that drifted through their sunny bedroom, bringing fresh warmth to the house. A small weight landed surprisingly on Mike's lower leg, causing a shout from the usually placid man. Kate laughed in amusement as Jinx' collar rang clearly beside them, the small cat stalking purposely towards the centre of the bed and laying down for a snooze.

"She's got the right idea" sighed Mike dramatically, closing his eyes tightly in the hopes of getting some more sleep. Once again a piercing cry from afar awoke him; jolting both adults back to reality and the realisation that Thomas would not be allowing them to sleep until he had opened his presents.

"We should get up" sighed Kate, her happiness spilling over despite the annoyed tone she was putting on. Mike shared a smile with her before nodding in agreement.

"We should" he relied, not daring to move a muscle until his wife did.

"It's Christmas" continued Kate with a smile, glancing side ways at her husband before turning back to stare at the ceiling.

"Hmm" sighed Mike "It is"

"Thomas won't stop yelling until we move" reminded Kate, sitting up slowly to tug at Mike's sleeve.

"Probably not" sighed the man sleepily, letting his eyes drift close once more. He'd almost gotten to the stage of blocking out Thomas' demands before a heavier weight than either the boy or the cat rolled on top of him. He peeked open one eye to look up at the smiling form of his beautiful wife.

"Michael, we have a son" she coaxed gently "And at this moment he want's nothing more than his mummy and daddy to come share Christmas with him"

Mike smiled languidly back at Kate, breathing in her scent of sea and vanilla before grinning with a nod.

"We do have a son" he laughed happily, loving the sounds of the words even after two years and many temper tantrums from the toddler.

"Merry Christmas sailor" smiled Kate.

"Merry Christmas gorgeous" grinned Mike.

"Mummy, daddy" called a desperate voice "Presents now pease!"

TBC


	3. Thomas' New Year

_Everybody clap, clap clap clap_

Thomas Christopher Flynn clapped his hands excitedly, mimicking the brightly clothed characters dancing on the television screen in front of him while bouncing lightly on his knees.

_Everybody sing la la la la la_

"Are you an opera singer Tommy?" teased his father from behind. He turned his little body away from the television towards the source of his daddy's voice, his cheeks breaking out in dimples as he grinned and continued La-ing loudly.

_Bow to your partner_

"Bow daddy" instructed the two year old, his voice muffled by the awkward position his bow had placed his head in. Staring upside down at his t-shirt with his blonde hair spilling down over his forehead, he tried in vain to look up at his daddy to make sure he was doing the right action.

_Then we turn around Yippee!_

Mike watched on in amusement as Thomas spun around the back room in circles, tripping over his feet occasionally while yelling out "Yippee" in a loud, squeaky giggle. He strode quickly over to his son, picking him up mid-spin to toss him lightly over his shoulder before starting to turn himself. The room spun quickly around the pair as they spun, Mike's strong laughter mixing with Thomas's giggles while The Wiggles music played happily in the background.

Rushing down the hallway in search of Thomas' jacket, Kate couldn't help but stop and smile at the sight of her husband and son, spinning round and round in laughter and completely oblivious to the clock ticking over to 5 o'clock. The pair collapsed with a thump onto the bouncy cushions of the lounge just as Kate switched the Wiggles CD into silence. Two pairs of brown eyes met hers, one in annoyance and the other in laughter.

"Wiggles" cried out Thomas, pushing his hand up against Mike's chest so that he landed with a thump on the slippery floorboards below. After regaining his balance and shaking his head to rid himself of the spinning he stumbled over towards his mother and wrapped an arm around her leg, clinging tightly to the rough texture of the jeans and pressing his face against her.

"Mummy, wiggles" he continued, looking pleadingly up at his mother, puppy eyes blinking with innocence and a perfect pout wobbling where minutes ago a grin had lain.

Kate looked with annoyance towards her husband stretched out on the lounge beside her, one arm lying across the back of the cushions, looking very relaxed. His eyes were dancing with his usual teasing smile as he shrugged his shoulders passively.

"You know the consequences of taking away Tommy's Wiggles" was all he said, enjoying the gorgeous look of annoyance his wife was giving him as Thomas continued to grip her leg tightly. Finding no solace in her husband, Kate turned back towards the complaining toddler by her side, glancing down towards the blinking brown eyes looking pleadingly at her before sighing loudly.

"Only until people arrive" she relinquished finally, looking between Mike and Thomas in a silent warning. Thomas tightened his grip on her leg in a bear hug, mumbling something along the lines of a thankyou before skipping back to Mike and jumping onto his lap. He tugged at his father's shirt to get the man up while Kate turned the Wiggles playful music back and walked out of the room towards the kitchen.

"Daddy" pleaded Thomas, resorting to hitting his father lightly in the chest in the hopes he would continue their earlier game.

"Tommy, I'm dizzy" complained Mike with a grin, suddenly wondering why he had helped the two year old when he didn't want to continue dancing. 'It's my own fault', he realised with a sigh, pushing himself up and off the lounge before swinging Thomas back onto his shoulder, upside down this time. He'd chosen to ignore the creaking noise of his bones and joints cracking back into place as he had stood up, not really wanting to own up to the thought that he was getting old. 7 more hours he thought with a grin.

"Do you have the wine?" asked Nikki, climbing the steps to the Flynn front door two at a time while ET followed slowly behind her, his arms filled with food and bags.

"Right here" he replied, attempting to show the bottle underneath the platter he was holding.

"And the bread rolls, Kate asked us specifically to bring them" she continued, ignoring her boyfriends reply and continuing up the stairs without looking back.

"Yep" he nodded in return, purposely swinging the bag of rolls that hung from his arm so she would hear it.

"And the present for Thomas" asked Nikki, stopping this time to spin around and almost knocking the struggling man behind her to the ground.

"Relax Nik" smiled ET, watching her as she breathed in slowly and shook her head, the strands of brown framing her face fanning out around her shoulders.

"Just enjoy the night" he reminded her gently, nudging at her to continue up the stairs and ring the doorbell, half hidden behind the dying branches of the pot plant by the door.

'Don't know what you have to be nervous about anyway' thought ET in amusement, rubbing his hand against the small velvet box hidden in his jeans pocket with a grin.

"Daddy. No" cried Thomas in frustration, pushing his hands against his father's knee in the hopes of holding him back from answering the door.

"Thomas I have to answer it" replied Mike with a laugh, looking in amusement at the tiny child trying with all his might to push him in the other direction. His face was tort with fierce concentration as he pushed hard and Mike would have played along if it wasn't for the incessant ringing of the doorbell down the hall.

"Mike, answer the door" called Kate in annoyance from upstairs.

"See little man, your mother told me I had to" he explained in amusement, picking the desperate child up with one arm and swinging him up, over his shoulder. Thomas kicked his feet against Mike's chest as he cried out in annoyance, once again angry that his Wiggles had been turned off.

"Come on in" welcomed Mike happily, smiling at Nav and ET who stood amusedly at the front door watching their smiling captain and the crying toddler slung over his shoulder.

Jinx arched her back languidly from her position on the back deck. Groups of people sat and stood laughing around her, chatting about the year past and their plans for the new one. She jumped quickly from her spot by the pool gate, noticing the blonde head of her young master as he toddled excitedly towards her.

"Kitty" cried Thomas in alarm as Jinx shot of into the shadows behind the bushes surrounding the pool. He sat down dejectedly in the middle of the deck, oblivious of the groups of people moving and dancing around him though they were all perfectly aware of him.

"What's up little man?" asked Chefo, squatting down to Thomas' height as the child sat with a frown upon the floor. He looked up at Chefo, blinking quickly as tears built up around the rims of his eyes, before pointing to where Jinx had sat and calling her name softly.

"Did Jinx run away?" asked Chefo, already familiar with the Flynn family cat. Thomas nodded his little head slowly, letting it droop down so he was staring at the dark wooden decking.

"Come on buddy" coaxed Chefo, picking Thomas up into his arms to carry the child out of the rest of the crew's way, most of whom were watching the little boy with amusement; the woman commenting on how cute he was and how much like Mike he looked while the men laughed good naturally at the desperate frown Thomas was wearing.

The little boy buried his head against Chefo's shoulder, unused to so many people and being up so late at night. The loud thump of the music vibrated in his head and he was getting sick of being jolted from side to side by so many people. Plus he hadn't seen his mummy or daddy in a while and he missed them. Before he knew what was happening he had burst into tears against Chefo's shoulder, surprising both himself and the adults around him, a group of which rushed to rub his back and muter soothing sounds in the hopes of quietening him down.

Thomas perked his little head up, out of the crook of Chefo's neck, to scan the bustling crowd of people around him for his mummy or daddy. Noticing the little boy's search through glistening eyes, Chefo started wandering the crowded deck of dancing and chatting people, searching also. He spotted Mike chatting happily to Swain and his wife, a sleeping Holly wrapped tightly in the medic's arms as the trio laughed at a joke Chefo couldn't hear. The noise of the crowd between them and Thomas; sleepy head falling against his shoulder caused Chefo to opt out of trying to shout to the captain, instead he waved frantically, catching the man (along with a few other amused peoples) attention and pointing at Thomas. With a nod of realisation Mike smiled at Swain and his Wife, promised them he'd be back in a minute, and dived into the swarm of people between him and his son, pushing and nudging his way politely towards him.

Thomas picked his head up sleepily just in time to notice his daddy walking towards them. He smiled happily, tears long since forgotten, before opening his arms out wide for his daddy to hug him.

"What's up Tommy?" asked Mike, taking his little son into his arms and hugging him tight. He was quite surprised at the strong grip Thomas had around his neck, the child was hugging him like they had been parted for years, which, for Thomas, it had seemed like.

"People daddy" explained Thomas slowly, nudging his head up to look at Mike solemnly, before shutting his eyes tightly and burrowing back down safely in his fathers arms. Mike smiled and nodded in understanding, thanking Chefo for looking after Thomas, before wondering of in search of his wife so Thomas could say his goodnights.

"I think it might be bed time for you buddy" instructed Mike, rubbing a soothing hand up and down Thomas' back to lull him into sleep.

"Story time" he heard the boy mumble against his chest, the child's voice suddenly sounding hopeful at the thought of daddy's bed time tales. Mike laughed quietly at Thomas' request, side stepping past ET and Nav who stood whispering by the swing he had put up a few weekends ago for Thomas. Choosing to ignore Thomas' question until they were alone he scanned the groups of people for the blonde head of his wife, finally spotting her, wine glass in hand, chatting to Jennifer and Amelia happily. He stood back a moment, aware that while Thomas was content for the moment it was only a matter of time before he lot his patience again, yet deciding he could wait a moment longer to watch the gorgeous woman before him. She'd grown up so much since their first meeting some 10 years ago. Kate, being only 23 at the time was everything a young woman coming into the Navy had to be, smart, ambitious, confident, naive he remembered with a grin. It had taken him all of two minutes to woo her into going out with him for drinks and he, a 33 year old who'd just gone through a bitter break up and had decided he'd fast track his mid life crisis 20 years, had been enchanted by her passion, her fire, her youth he thought with a smirk. They'd both set themselves up for a fall, diving head first into a whirlwind affair of hidden notes and touches under tables, complete with a secret knock so they knew it was the other when they arrived at each others place. It had ended in heart break but a twist of fate had thrown them back together and as only fate could it had ended happily.

"Who would have thought" he murmured through the crowd, 10 years on and we're married with a child. At this he looked down at Thomas who lay snoozing against his chest.

The reason for his early morning wake up calls to come watch Thomas the Tank Engine repeats even though he'd seen the episode twice already thought Mike. The reason for his sand castle competition's down at the beach that got washed away over night but where still searched for the next day without fail and the reason for the holes in the garden that made their way to China and the rotting wooden fence surrounding the backyard from 'painting' it with a bucket filled with water and an old paint brush. The reason he got up in the morning, laughed through the day and went to sleep at night, all curled up asleep in Thomas the tank engine pyjama's, safely nestled against his chest smiled Mike happily.

"Love you Tommy" he whispered, dropping a kiss onto the mop of golden hair sticking out in his arms. He wandered towards Kate, who by now had noticed him and looked at the clock, deciding that Thomas should have long since been in bed.

"I'll put him down" he assured, laying a gentle hand on Kate's arm as she leant in to whisper goodnight to their son. Thomas shifted slightly in return, sighing deeply in his sleep as both parents shared a relaxed smile.

Hours later an excited group of friends and family stood huddled by the portable television the men had set up on the deck earlier.

"A bit to the left" called ET, waving his hand from his position behind the television while Spider, beer in one hand, antennas in the other, stumbled around the deck to find a reception.

"Come on guy's" complained Chefo

"We'll be here till next year if you two don't hurry up" quipped Mike with a grin. Kate turned from her position leaning against his chest to face towards him, smiling happily before turning back. Mike, quite taken with the small gesture, wrapped his arm around her tighter, leaning back against the table so that she could lean against him.

"Finally" called Swain as the television crackled into life, the dying sounds of the Channel Nine New Years Eve broadcast echoing through the backyard as the chatter fell slowly silent and the timer at the bottom of the television screen hit twenty.

A hum of excitement filled the backyard as girlfriends and boyfriends and mates and friends and husband's and wives found their way to each other, embracing warmly or shaking hands with a grin, everyone content to ring in the last moments of the old year and the first minutes of the new.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6" chanted the crowd along with the television. Mike wrapped his arms around Kate from behind, nestling his head against her own as she leant back happily against his chest.

"I wonder if the noise will wake Thomas?" she murmured briefly, aware of her sleeping son's presence down the hall.

"Nah" laughed Mike, taking the final swig of his beer before kissing Kate's head. "Even if he does, that means we can celebrate with him" he answered brightly, earning a chuckle from Kate as they joined in the countdown.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1"

ET bent down slowly on one knee, his gaze never leaving the amazed face of his girlfriend stood before him as she gasped in surprise, hand flying to her mouth at what she knew was coming.

"Happy New Year!!!" erupted the crowd as brightly coloured fireworks leapt of the screen in front of them.

Mike pulled Kate close against him, both arms wrapped around her waist as her hands found their place behind his neck, lips meeting each other in a passionate kiss to welcome a New Year Together.

"Marry me" whispered ET, smiling in nervousness as tears spilled down Nikki's cheeks and she nodded happily in front of him.

"Yes" she murmured back, pulling him towards her for a kiss filled with all the love and desire she could feel bursting inside of her. As the pair broke apart for much needed air they became acutely aware of the gaze of their friends and co workers around them.

"Bout time" chimed Mike happily before an eruption of cheers and congratulations filled the yard and Chefo, Spider and Buffer half tackled, half embraced their friend and clapped him on the back.

Kate wound her way out of Mike's arms to find a beaming Nikki, laughing happily while tears spilled down her cheeks. The two girls grinned at each other before embracing in laughter, barley able to hear each other over the noise of the crowd.

Behind him, Mike heard the back door open with a grate and a little blonde head peaked out tiredly. The crowd of people, most still chatting and laughing, turned towards the door to where little Thomas Flynn stood sleepy eyed before them, Thomas the Tank Engine pyjama's twisted crookedly around his frame. Ignoring the people staring, he turned towards his daddy who had bent down in front of him.

"What's up buddy?" asked Mike; smiling at Thomas despite that he should have been fast asleep in bed.

Thomas, suddenly quite shy now that the focus was on him, leaned against Mike's chest before whispering quietly to his father.

"Daddy, 'an I have some water p'ease?"


End file.
